DNR’s annual river cleanup set for June 20-27

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has selected the site of this year’s annual week-long river cleanup event. Project AWARE (A Watershed Awareness River Expedition) will take place on the Cedar River in eastern Iowa June 20-27. The DNR’s Brian Soenen helps organize the volunteer effort and says this summer’s cleanup will cover an 86-mile route between Center Point and Muscatine.

The participants will float down the river in canoes and kayaks, plucking garbage and debris along the way. Soenen expects a lot of time will be spent in Cedar Rapids, where the river flooded out of its banks last summer damaging thousands of homes and businesses. He says the river cleanup in August of last year also passed through Cedar Rapids and volunteers pulled out record amounts of garbage.

This the 7th year for a Project AWARE event. More information about the effort can be found here .